Team Rümenapf

The research group of professor Till Rümenapf is focusing on basic research in virology. We are primarily investigating viruses related to diseases in livestock, especially in pigs and cattle.  Our aim is to elucidate molecular mechanisms of viruses that cause disease and can spread in the animal and its population: particularly mechanisms of infection, replication, virus morphogenesis and evasion of immunological barrier.

Key Areas of Research include: 

  • - Classical Swine Fever virus (CSFV),
  • - Porcine Respiratory and Reproducting Syndrome virus (PRRSV),
  • - Bovine Viral Diarrhea virus (BVDV), 

 

PRRSV is currently considered one of the most significant viral diseases of swine worldwide. The economic damage caused by PRRSV is enormous in Austria. In particular, the development of persistent infections in sows complicates the rehabilitation of pig herds. We want to elucidate the strategies and pathogenesis of PRRSV molecularly.

Bee research 1 is also part of the research work of our group. High losses of bee colonies last winter underline the importance of research into the molecular mechanisms of bee viruses.

 

Staff

 

Univ.Prof. Dr.med.vet. Till Rümenapf
T +43 1 25077-2300
E-mail Till Rümenapf

 

Dipl.-Ing. Hann-Wei Chen
T +43 1 25077-2304
E-Mail to Hann-Wei Chen
to vCard  2

MSc in Food and Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria in January 2010. After graduation he worked in a pharmaceutical company as a technical assistant in vaccine research for 4 years. Since May 2014 he is an assisting technician part of Prof. Ruemnapf’s team.

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Dr.med.vet. Christiane Riedel
T +43 1 25077-2705
E-Mail to Christiane Riedel
to vCard  3

Studied veterinary medicine at the Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany (approbation in 2007). Doctorate (Dr. vet. Med.) of veterinary medicine in 2011 at the Insitute of Virology, faculty of veterinary medicine, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen: “Plasticity and function studies of the CSFV Core Protein”.  Since 2012 staff scientist at the Institute of Virology at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. From 2013 to 2015 Leopoldina postdoctoral fellow at the Oxford Particle Imaging Center: „Characterisation of retrovirus-host-interactions by cryo electron tomography“ in the team of Prof. Kay Grünewald.

Research focus: Pestivirus, Structure determination by cryo electron microscopy

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Dr.med.vet. Kerstin Seitz
T +43 1 25077-2332; 6498
E-Mail to Kerstin Seitz
to vCard  4

Studied veterinary medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna and graduated in June 2016. She commenced her doctorate studies in the Rümenapf team in September 2016. Her research under Benjamin Lamp’s supervision is focusing on bee viruses.

Main focus: Bee viruses